Fighting Fire with Cool

The recent wildfires in Colorado left several communities across the state grappling with profound losses, and Jacob Custer and his partner, Erin Sweeney, wanted to help. Enter Cease Fire, a local-centered music and art show happening today at the Oriental Theater.

Although he wasn’t directly affected by the tragedy, Custer says a chance conversation with a stranger opened his eyes to the devastating need for money, shelter and services. So the organizers put out feelers on Facebook, hoping to find a few friends interested in holding a fundraiser. The response was bigger than Custer or Sweeney anticipated. “It basically was a social-network blow-up kind of thing,” says Custer. “Before we knew it, the Oriental Theater was booked, bands and artists were involved, and it’s all just came together through Facebook.”

The event will bring the music of Oakhurst, Elliot Moonshine and the Flashmob, among others, to the stage, along with the work of well-known Denver creatives like Ravi Zupa, Scott Lefavor and Anna Kaye. Their artwork will be on display at the venue and available for purchase, along with T-shirts designed by the artists specifically for Cease Fire, with all money raised going to various charities working with Colorado wildfire victims.

Doors open at the Oriental, 4335 West 44th Avenue, at 2:30 p.m. for art perusal, and bands begin at 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ceasefire303. To purchase tickets, $15, go to www.theorientaltheater.com or call 720-420-0030.
Sun., July 29, 2:30 p.m., 2012